AB 681 California Assembly · 2025-2026 Regular Session

California DREAM Loan Program: limits.

Summary
Existing law establishes the California DREAM Loan Program, which authorizes a student attending a participating campus of the University of California or California State University to receive a loan, referred to as a DREAM loan, if the student satisfies certain requirements. Existing law prohibits a student from borrowing more than $4,000 within a single academic year and more than $40,000 in the aggregate under the program. Existing law prohibits a student enrolled in an undergraduate program from borrowing more than $20,000 as an undergraduate student and prohibits a student enrolled in a graduate program from borrowing more than $20,000 as a graduate student. This bill would instead prohibit a student enrolled in an undergraduate program from borrowing more than $4,000 within a single academic year, and a student enrolled in a graduate program from borrowing more than $20,500 within a single academic year. The bill would increase the aggregate limit under the program for a student enrolled in a graduate program to $118,500 as a graduate student, while maintaining the $20,000 aggregate limit under the program for a student enrolled in an undergraduate program, thereby increasing the overall aggregate limit under the program for a student who receives a DREAM loan for both undergraduate and graduate enrollment to $138,500.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
Sep 2025
Assembly Passage
May 2025
Senate Passage
Sep 2025
Signed into Law
Oct 2025
Introduced Feb 14, 2025 Signed Oct 13, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

02/14/25 - Introduced 09/08/25 - Enrolled · 2 edits · Sep 8, 2025
MINOR
AB 681 moved from its introduced form to its enrolled (final) form without any substantive policy changes. The differences are entirely procedural and formatting: removal of line numbers, updated headers reflecting passage by the Assembly (May 5, 2025) and Senate (September 4, 2025), and cleanup of the text to remove the struck-through old $40,000 aggregate limit that was visible in the introduced version. The final enrolled bill retains all the same loan limits as introduced.
TECHNICAL

The introduced version displayed both the old $40,000 aggregate limit (struck) and the new tiered structure side by side. The enrolled version presents only the clean final text without the struck-through prior provision.

Line numbers, page headers, and legislative formatting were removed or updated to reflect the enrolled bill format rather than the introduced bill format.

Floor votes · Senate Sep 4, 2025 · Assembly May 5, 2025

How they voted

309
Passed · 1 other
Total votes 40
Sep 4, 2025
D Democratic30
29 Yea 1
96% Yea
R Republican10
1 Yea 9 Nay
90% Nay
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
18
Key actions
9
Committee
9
Oct 13, 2025
Signed into law
Approved by the Governor.
legislature
Sep 4, 2025
Lower · Passed
In Assembly. Ordered to Engrossing and Enrolling.
lower
Sep 4, 2025
Upper · Passed
Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 30. Noes 9. Page 2516.).
upper
Aug 29, 2025
Upper · Passed
From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 5. Noes 2.) (August 29).
upper
Jun 23, 2025
Committee
In committee: Referred to suspense file.
upper
Jun 11, 2025
Upper · Passed
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 5. Noes 1.) (June 11). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
upper
May 14, 2025
Committee
Referred to Com. on ED.
upper
May 5, 2025
Lower · Passed
Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 61. Noes 10. Page 1419.)
lower
Apr 9, 2025
Lower · Passed
From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 10. Noes 4.) (April 9).
lower
Mar 19, 2025
Lower · Passed
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 8. Noes 2.) (March 18). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
lower
Mar 3, 2025
Committee
Referred to Com. on HIGHER ED.
lower
Feb 15, 2025
Lower · Passed
From printer. May be heard in committee March 17.
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Sade Elhawary
Sade Elhawary
DDemocratic
CA
57